Memories of Neji
by RPG1115
Summary: As Neji begins to die he remembers all of the highlights in his life. The good, the bad, the in-between. This is a story of Neji's life and all of the crucial moments. Please Read and Review Oneshot Warning contains Spoilers.


_This story is a tale of Neji as he started dying at the end of chapter 614. Please Read and Review to let me know what you think._

_ After reading the latest hapter I was shocked by the ending and I also was really sad. So I wrote this story to show what might have been going on in Neji's mind by the end. Well lets get on with the story _

_ Goodbye Neji R.I.P._

_Memories of Neji._

As I stood there in the arms of the person who saved me from myself. I stared at everyones reactions. Hinata was crying begging me to remain alive. Naruto was screaming for a mediac to get here. Lord Hyuga looked shocked like he felt as though he let me down.

"Stop" was what I wanted to say but I knew they wouldn't here me. I hated seeing all these people sad and crying over my death. they shouldn't be after all I'm just a member of the side branch my job was to protect lady Hinata.

With the spikes piecing my body and the blood running our of me I know what was happening. I was dying. It wasn't like that time with Kidomaru no this time I knew it was true.

I closed my eyes knowing this was the end and I waited for my death to come to me.

They say when you die your life flashes before your eyes. This happened to me I saw all the choices I made In life wondering if I made the right ones. Wondering if things could have gone differently.

My name is Neji. Neji Hyuga. I'm a member of the Hyuga family's side branch. My job is simple all I have to do protect the next head of the Hyuga clan that's lady Hinata. Sounds easy right. wrong for a huge part of my life all I could do was hate lady Hinata.

This is the story of my life and the choices I made in it.

My story begins when I was just a child no older than 4.

My father took me to out one day to meet my 3 year old younger cousin.

"So this is Neji. He's four isn't he." I heard my uncle Hiashi say to my father.

"Yes this is him and this must be your daughter lady Hinata." My father replied

"Hello there." I said kindly to Hinata. She just quietly hid behind her fathers leg. I could tell she was really shy. "She sure is pretty right dad." I whispered to my father.

"Yes of course Neji. Now you must remember what your job is. From this day onwards you must always be there to protect lady Hinata. It is your cuty as a member of the side branch. Do you understand?" My anther told me.

"Yea I understand. Don't worry dad I promise I will protect lady Hinata with my life." I promised my father with an innocent smile

One thing you have to understand is at that time I was for. When a four year old is told to do something and protect someone then they don't usually understand how dangerous life might have been. I didn't know any better. I never could have predicted how hard it would have been to keep my promise. You see not long after I made that promise I had received my curse mark on my forehead. I was embaresed by it. Why did I have to get this stupid mark. I felt like I was in a damn cage. I thought my sadness couldn't get any worse. If I only knew.

I sat quietly up in my room unable to believe the news I had just heard. My father was dead. But he didn't die in battle or anything like that, he died because Hiashi was a coward. It should've been Hiashi but since my father was a member of the damn side branch It was him that died.

"Those damn Hyuga's. That damn main branch. they took my father away from me." The younger me said almost crying.

"_Neji you must always protect the main branch even if it means giving up your liee. That is our job._" I remembered my father telling me once.

"No dad that can't be it. We don't even have a choice. We're sealed by destiny. All because of this cruel fate thet has happened. It's all that damn Main branch's fault." he younger me said.

That moment was crucial in my life. For the first time my hatred of the main branch began and all I wanted was to see HInata suffer. I had no right to hate her she did nothing to me. But back then I was filled with rage and hatred and I wanted no part of forgiving her.

"From today onward you three will be part of my team" I saw Guy Sensei tell the younger versions of us who had all just become Genin. "So what are each of your dreams."

"I have no intention of sharing that." I said coldly

"I'll share mine. My dream is to one day become a great female shinobi like the legendary lady Tsunade" My comrade Tenten said full of confidence.

"Guy sensei I would like to prove that even if a ninja cannot use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu they could still become a great shinobi." My comrade Rock Lee told us.

"What a pointless dream. How can a ninja become skilled with only Taijustsu it goes against every rule in the book. You should just go home or something." I told Lee.

"Now thats enough Neji. All a ninja needs is a good heart, determination and the right amount of youth and they can do anything." Guy said to me.

I simply turned my head and ignored him after all what did he know.

I remember how cruel I was to my comrades. I would always treat them like dirt and put them down. Almost every day I would beat up lee and then make him feel like dirt.

How I regret it. I was such a monster to both of them. I never supported them and I acted like a demon. But as monstrous as I behaved it still couldn't compare to what I was going to do next. Nothing could.

"I'll never run away or back down…. Because that to is my nindo my ninja way." Lady Hinata told me with her mouth full of blood.

The two of us were fighting at the CHunin Exams. Finnally this was my chance to get my revenge. this was my chance to take out all of my hatred.

"If you just give up now you can stop suffering so please just quite already." I told her coldly

"Your wrong cousin because underneath I can see how your truly suffering from the burden of this clan." Hinata told me.

I'd rather not repeat what happened next. All you need to know is that what I did was cruel and evil. Even the higher ups stepped to stop our match.

The worst part about what I did was that I didn't even regret it. I had just almost killed the very person I swore to protect. What kind of a monster did that. Me I did. I never quite forgave myself for that day even though everyone else did. I never quite got over it. In my eyes what I did was unforgivable and I deserved to die.

Your all probably wondering what I did to change so much. The sad truth is I probably wouldn't have changed if it hadn't been for him.

Naruto Unzumaki. That's the name of the person who changed me for the better.

"PEople can change and I'm gonna provee it to you. Do you think Hinata cares about all this stupid clan bullshit. I doubt it. Even though she kept on getting beaten up, even though it almost meant dying. She still fought so hard just to gain your respect." Naruto yelled at me.

I simple ignored him. He didn't know what it was like to be treated like dirt. To be hated by everyone around you.

If I only knew how much he did actually know. If only I knew how he had been through even worse then me but he still smiled.

we had continued to fight hard and no matter how badly I hurt him. I even blocked all of his chakara points. But he somehow kept fighting.

"It may be the Hyuga's way to choose destiny but it isn't mine. When I become Hokage I'll change the way of the Hyuga clan."Naruto screamed as we collided with one another.

After we collide I had believed I had won the fight but Naruto outsmarted me by making a clone underground and punched me in the face. This caused my defeated.

He had beaten me but he then went on to tell me how he was horrible at the clone juts. But what he told me next was a quote I'd always remember. He said "You can do it to because unlike me your not a failure."

I had continued to think about what he said for many year to come. And from that day on I had changed for the better.

"Please forgive me lady Hinata." I begged her one day not to long after my loss to Naruto.

"big brother Neji. Why are you apologizing?"

"I had hated you for all these years and treated you like garbage. Even though you were always kind." I told her.

She simply smiled. " You don't have to apologize Neji. I know you had suffered from our family's rules. I'm sorry for the way you have been treated." She told me.

"No thats no excuse for the mistakes I've made. I went against everything our families stood for by blaming you for my fathers death. from now on I swear from hear on out I will protect you just as I swore to do." I told her as she simply smiled and forgave me.

I owed Naruto for changing my personnality so naturally when he needed help to go save his friend Sasuke. Sadly though even though We had Intentionally meant to stay as a group but I needed to stay behind in order to fight the sound ninja Kidomaru.

One thing I was sure of this guy was without a doubt the must powerful opponent I had fought up to the date. I was almost dead and I had a String through my chest and I felt like I was dying. I kept on remembering my fight with Naruto and how he wouldn't give up and I knew I couldn't either.

"why don't just give up and die. Those friends of yours are never gonna save Sasuke. He's choosen to go to lord Orochimaru on his own free will." Kidomaru said to me

I wasn't gonna quite and I had no intention of losing to him. I used my Chakara to flow through the spider web he made and I struck him and finished him off with my Eight gates Assult technique.

I laid there feeling like I was dying. It didn't matter now. I knew Naruto would save Sasuke and bring him back to the leaf village. I crawled and picked up my headband that had been knocked off of me. As I heled it I looked up and saw some birds fly out above me. I simply smiled ant this. My path had ended here and I had to putt my faith in NAruto and everyone else. As I laid there feeling my consciousness slip away I believed this was the end and I waited for death.

The funny thing is I didn't die that day. The medics found me and were able to rebuild my cells in order to fix my body. I remember the look on everyone's faces, They all looked so happy that I had lived. From that day on Lord Hyuga swore to train me as his own apprentice if in exchange I helped train lady Hinata. I was glad to agree to such terms.

Sadly though I knew it didn't go that well for everyone. Naruto had been beaten by Sasuke and he failed to save him. After the mission Naruto seemed depressed. But even that didn't last long I heard that he was going to go on a two year long training period with the toad sage Jiriya. I Knew he would Improve greatly from it and that one day he would save Sasuke and show him the light.

I still believe it even to this very day.

"He's leaving today. Are you gonna say goodbye to him?" I asked lady Hinata after one of our training sessions.

"Umm… well…" Hinata said quietly

"You know he will be leaving for two whole years. If you don't say goodbye you might not see him again for long time." I told her.

She soon got up and went to say goodbye to him. I smiled knowing her she would probably hide from behind a pole and watch him leave without even speaking to him. But that was none of my business. I knew Hinata's secret that she was in fact in love with NAruto. It didn't bother me I was glad for her and wished her the best of luck.

I had tained hard over the next few years. I had learned many new techneiques and continued to raise my rank to een the rank of Jounin. This mad me he only one out of all the Konaha eleven to make it to the rank. I felt proud of my accomplishments and I knew it didn't matter what choices I made from here on out I would fight to protect my clan.

A lot had happened since Naruto returned to the village. We went up against the ninja Kisame and even fought clones of ourselves. It felt good to see Naruto again and see how much he had improved.

One day man who killed Naruto's mentor Jiriya came to attack our village. The man Identified himself as Pain. By the time Lee, Tenten, Guy and I all arrived we knew it was to late.

The village was already destroyed and I soon found lady Hinata on the ground.

"Tenten how is she." I asked Tenten concerned.

"Don't worry she's hurt but as long as we get her to a medic it won't be life threatening."

"Lee hurry up and go find Sakura." I told Lee as he went to go get mer. "What the hell could've happened to her." I said wondering how she got his hurt.

Luckily though Sakura got here in time and was able to save Hinata in time thank god.

We even found out that Naruto had defeated Pain. I was glad because of this.

"Why the hell did you try to fight someone like him!" I scrammed at Hinata one day after the battle.

"I'm sorry Neji but he would've killed Naruto if I didn't step in."

"I know that but why did you have to be the one to do that. Your the daughter of the Hyuga clan. Your to important to-"

"I couldn't let him die." She interrupted me.

"But what if he didn't go six tails? Then you wonld have sacrificed your life for nothing."

"I know that but I had to try. Besides… I told him" She said quietly.

"Yea whatever thats just…. Wait what? Did you just say what I think you said?" I asked her because I almost couldn't believe anything yet.

"I told him." She repeated

"I see what did he about it." I asked her wondering what she would saw

"He didn't really have a chance one second I was confessing the next I was fighting Pain. He beat me quickly though. And after the fight I haven't had a chance to see him

"Look I'm glad you tried so hard to protect him. You really love him don't you?"

"Yea."

"I can understand. Naruto has changed many people. Me included. Just remember though the next time you try to do something like that make sure I'm here too. It's my job to protect you and the next time you try something like that I'll be their to protect you. Just remember I would gladly give my life for you." I said

So did I do good. I pray I did. I stay here dying bleeding. I see lady Hinata crying bursting with tears. Naruto is holding me in shook.

Do I have any regrets. No. I swore I would protect lady Hinata and in the end I did just that. But remember I didn't give my life to save her because I had to. I did it because I choose to.

Lee keep training hard. I know you will become a world famous ninja.

Tenten I truly believe that you will one day surpass lady Tsunade.

Guy sensei thank you so much for all your training. I am so grateful for all of it.

Lord Hyuga these past few years have been great. Thank you so much for taking me in and training me. I'm sorry I couldn't live longer to protect lady Hinata.

Lady Hinata keep training hard. You will one day have to lead this clan. Protect Them and become a strong nines. Don't give up and don't worry I'm sure Naruto will always protect you.

And finally Naruto. were do I begin with you. Thank you for changing me for the better. If it wasn't for you I would still be a monster. Thank you so much. Become Hokage I know you can do it. Also save Sasuke I know it may be hard but you have to try. Also I beg of you please protect lady Hinata it's my final wish. From here on out I will be with you watching over you. I'll be with you so please protect her as I would.

I feel my life ending it's getting harder to see but it doesn't matter what happens now. I'm free like a bird.


End file.
